View source for Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (1978 book)

{{short description|English language reference work}}
{{Infobox book
| name              = Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
| image             = ESF1978cover.jpeg
| image_size        =
| alt               = Cover of Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
| caption           = The cover of the first edition of "Encyclopedia of Science Fiction"
| editor            = [[Robert Holdstock]] (Consulting Editor)
| illustrator       =
| cover_artist      = [[Tony Roberts (artist)|Tony Roberts]]
| country           = United Kingdom
| language          = English
| series            =
| subject           = [[Science fiction]]
| publisher         = Octopus Books
| pub_date          = 1978
| media_type        =
| pages             = 224
| isbn              = 0706407563
| oclc              =
| dewey             =
| congress          =
| preceded_by       =
| followed_by       =
}}
'''''Encyclopedia of Science Fiction''''' is a 1978 book of essays about  the science fiction genre, largely as a literary form but also covering cinema, TV and illustration.
==Articles and Content==
The articles were written by a number of well known writers, critics, and editors, covering a number of topics, including the history of the genre, alien encounters, technology, and sci-fi art and cinema.<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of science fiction|date=1978|publisher=Octopus Books|isbn=0706407563|editor-last=Holdstock|editor-first=Robert}}</ref> The consultant editor was fantasy and science fiction author [[Robert Holdstock]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-06-02|title=Encyclopedia of Science Fiction|url=https://robertholdstock.com/writing/non-fiction/encyclopedia-of-science-fiction/|access-date=2020-08-05|website=robertholdstock.com|language=en}}</ref> who also contributed a chapter on modern perceptions of science fiction. The foreword was written by [[Isaac Asimov]]. Other notable contributors include novelists [[Brian Stableford]], [[Harry Harrison (writer)|Harry Harrison]], and [[Christopher Priest (novelist)|Christopher Priest]], the editor and publisher [[Malcolm Edwards]], and the astronomer [[Patrick Moore]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Publication: Encyclopedia of Science Fiction|url=http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?204909|access-date=2020-08-18|website=www.isfdb.org}}</ref> The book also contained a number of lavish full colour illustrations, often featuring magazine and novel cover art by artists such as [[Melvyn Grant]], [[Kelly Freas]], [[Joe Petagno]] and [[Chris Foss]]. The cover art was by the artist [[Tony Roberts (artist)|Tony Roberts]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Roberts, Tony : SFE : Science Fiction Encyclopedia|url=http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/roberts_tony|access-date=2020-08-18|website=www.sf-encyclopedia.com}}</ref>
==Legacy==
In a 1995 article in ''[[Utopian Studies]]'', critic Nicholas Ruddick, comparing the book to its contemporary, [[The Visual Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] (1977), described both books as having "both stood up well as multi-authored ''visual'' encyclopedias - that it is they both contain striking pictorial spreads."<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ruddick|first=Nicholas|date=1996|title=Science Fiction: The Illustrated Encyclopedia by John Clute. [review]|journal=Utopian Studies|volume=7|issue=2|pages=242|jstor=20719532}}</ref> The book has also been cited in other academic publications such as  [[Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians|''The'' ''Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians'']]<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Morshed|first=A|date=2004|title=The Aesthetics of Ascension in Norman Bel Geddes's Futurama|journal=Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians|volume= 63, No 1.|issue=1|pages=97|doi=10.2307/4127993|jstor=4127993}}</ref>'', [[Modern Fiction Studies]]''<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ruddick|first=Nicholas|s2cid=161193067|date=1986|title=Out Of The Gernsbackian Slime: Christopher Priest's Abandonment of Science Fiction.|journal=Modern Fiction Studies|volume=32|issue=1|pages=48|doi=10.1353/mfs.0.1278|jstor=26281848}}</ref>'','' and ''[[American Studies (journal)|American Studies International]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Tymn|first=Marshall|date=1985|title=Science Fiction: A Brief History and Review of Criticism.|journal=American Studies International|volume=23|issue=1|pages=47|jstor=41278745}}</ref>
==See also==
{{Portal|Science fiction }}
* ''[[The Encyclopedia of Fantasy]]'' (1997), edited by [[John Clute]] and [[John Grant (author)|John Grant]]
* ''[[The Visual Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]]'' (1977), edited by [[Brian Ash (bibliographer)|Brian Ash]]
* ''[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] (SFE)'' (1979), edited by [[Peter Nicholls (writer)|Pete Nicholls]] and [[John Clute]]; 2nd, 1993; 3rd, 2011 online and continuously revised
* ''[[The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy]]'' (2005), edited by [[Gary Westfahl]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* {{IA |id=encyclopediaofsc0000unse_h7i1 |name=''Encyclopedia of Science Fiction''}}
[[Category:1978 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:20th-century encyclopedias]]
[[Category:Encyclopedias of literature]]
[[Category:Science fiction studies]]
[[Category:Books about films]]